Edward Snowden - Hero, or Traitor?

[Tony Cole]

G’day Everyone:

So, my first poll stems from a debate we’ve been having at work over the past few days, regarding Edward Snowden and his leaks about the NSA programs such as Prism and even more deadly Bullrun, which, even the UK were involved in. Some call him a traitor to his country, but others (including myself, a hero), to feel so strongly to give up your own freedom, to alert the world to crimes against society. From the hacking(s) of Prime Ministers and Presidents, which include Dilma Rousseff and Angela Merkel (and I’m sure those two are terrorists) because, isn’t this ultimately what it’s all about? The Patriot Act signed in to law by President George W. Bush allowed law enforcement agencies to conduct such clandestine acts against humanity, but even more so, to have the power to do so, without telling Congress. Yes, but it’s true, if it is to stop heinous crimes such as terrorism, murder and child abuse they have my full support, but not to monitor your own people, the world’s people, who they know are innocent. This whole notion “I’m innocent and have nothing to hide, so why care” is total nonsense, even Obama, who promised to end such acts, pulls the party liner it ‘has stop acts of terrorism’ have been proved wrong by multiple judges.

So, hero, or traitor?

Tony

 

[Amiga500]

Ask yourselves this.
Would it better to know or not to know that possible surveillance is occuring.I regard snowdens actions as honourable,however he has unintentionally created a paranoid orwellian society.

If we have nothing to hide then we should have a clear conscience.

 

[Kate_L]

He's a hero for me

 

[juhful]

Depends, for whistle blowing he maybe a hero, if he shares any secrets with foreign governments then he's a traitor no two ways about it.

 

[frogboy]

A hero gets my vote.

 

[Korora]

For me he would be a hero, he has opened up the eyes of people and shown them that the government is the traitor themselves by going on its people and spying on them for no real reason.

 

[arslan ejaz]

A hero as he revealed that our own governments are spying on us for no reason

 

[OokamiCreed]

Neither to me. He did good, and he probably released secrets that could put my country at risk. Probably is doing more harm than good in the end. Since people are now more paranoid about NSA, they will target them and ignore the rest of the five eyes which isn't going to end spying. And needless to say, there are more threats than just the Five Eyes spying and taking people out so in a way, he blinded most to other threats while highlighting another.

Just my thoughts on the matter I guess.

 

[Deleted member 178]

Traitor !

you work for a government or (company) , you are bound to their rules, you don't disclose publicly their secrets, that is a simple fact.

Don't be naive , he knows , everybody knows, that government spy on us for security reasons; not because they are peepers. Governments don't care of Mr Average Joe until Joe start to check websites about making bombs or joining dangerous groups of pseudo-revolutionist.

since you are born , you are already spied , all you acts are archived (bills, salary, taxes, schools you go , resources, etc... )

 

[juhful]

Traitor !

you work for a government or (company) , you are bound to their rules, you don't disclose publicly their secrets, that is a simple fact.

Don't be naive , he knows , everybody knows, that government spy on us for security reasons; not because they are peepers. Governments don't care of Mr Average Joe until Joe start to check websites about making bombs or joining dangerous groups of pseudo-revolutionist.

since you are born , you are already spied , all you acts are archived (bills, salary, taxes, schools you go , resources, etc... )

We're the only 2 traitor votes, I am in good company!

 

[Tony Cole]

But, are we not entitled to privacy? T he US Government spied and hacked other world leader, who are not terrorist, after all that's all they keep on about to justify everything they do. Dima Rousseff delivered the best attack against Obama at the UN, her emails were read. If Bush never went to war with a country who had nothing to do with the US (except Saddam tried to kill his father), then the Islamic State wouldn't be a threat. But as Richard Ledgett the NSA deputy director stated it is okay to weaken encryption, and to have backdoors in security software, but admitted if these systems were infiltrated then 'evil' people could exploit it, and would be unstoppable.

That's why the UK admitted, if you send a text message with certain red flag words they will monitor your phone, so if they do not spy on average people, then how would they know?

 

[Deleted member 178]

they silently monitor the whole world via filters, they surely intercepted your datas but are really not interested by you. it is what i meant.

 

[OneDay]

Let me say that he's neither a hero nor a traitor. Traitor for me is very a heavy word and I could justify it: if Snowden is a traitor, then what about NSA? Many consider him a traitor as he dared to "bite the hand that fed him". Well, we're human, my friends, not dogs. If I work in a company that's supposed to be legit and it turns out to be 'evil', then, yes, I'd do something for it. And Snowden did. On the other hand, a hero is a heavy word too. It's true that he helped people open their eyes on the ways their privacy was violated by governments, but it's too early to judge him as such. Yes, we are being watched, but we shouldn't compare different things. As much as I hate Google, for example, it tracks you to serve you just ads (I think so, at least) and they have a privacy policy available online. NSA, though, is an institution that's supposed to work for the people with its power given from the people, and they have no right in violating articles of the Constitution and the Declaration of Human Rights.
To sum up, time will show...

 

[dmzbg79]

He is a hero for me...

 

[Tony Cole]

To do what he did, takes guts, to stand up against any institution is hard, to flee your own country and risk your own life shows he honestly cares about what's right and wrong. Many will (on the side line) think it's wrong, or brush it aside, a most will never question a single wrong doing, even though inside they know it's wrong. Would you stand up against the CIA, FBI or NSA? Apparently, according to the NSA he (Snowden) should have spoken to his supervisor, and they would have made sure it was addressed, load of crap! Even a majority of Congress, the head of the Congressional select committee never knew what was going on, that was until the report appeared in the news.

My question is, why hack other world leaders, suppose to be your allies, until Snowden they never knew that phone calls, emails etc., had been hacked - good old Obama, he swore he would change the Bush system, which he called unfair. At his inauguration he took the out of Bush, for his blatant lies and draconian Government, which stopped freedom of speech, now same old crap, do you know how many acts of terrorism the NSA programs have stopped? Well Obama, according to 12 Government panel's and judges, none.